Jimmy Hill has died aged 87 following a battle with Alzheimer’s.
Hill will forever be remembered as one of the most influential figures in English football history, filling a number of different roles during a career that spanned five decades.
He started his playing career at Brentford before moving to Fulham, where he played over 300 games before retiring aged 33.
Hill also chaired the Professional Footballer’s Association, managed Coventry City for six years and presented Match of the Day between 1973 and 1998.
In a statement, his agent Jane Morgan said: “‘It is with great sadness that Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy passed away peacefully aged 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Bryony was beside him”.
The face of football for a generation of fans, Hill’s most important contribution to the game was arguably his campaign to abolish the £20-a-week maximum wage, which he achieved during his stint as PFA Chairman.
He also revolutionised how the game was televised, having introduced the use of pundits during London Weekend TV’s coverage of the 1970 World Cup.
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